Chapter 37: Street Battle (Seventh Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Lan Ruoruo)

Before Wei Cheng could touch the ground, a fierce gust suddenly swept in, lifting him higher instead of letting him fall. He was seized by an unusually enormous flying demon.

Wei Cheng twisted around and grabbed the demon’s claw, smashing it with a single punch and breaking one of its talons. The demon screeched, losing its balance and stumbling toward the earth. Wei Cheng seized the opportunity, activating his Mountain-Shifting technique to awaken the last reserves of his internal energy and form a thin layer of Golden Bell protection close to his body.

The ground was only a dozen meters away when the flying demon finally steadied itself, desperately flapping its wings to soar back into the sky. But Wei Cheng would not let it succeed. He yanked hard with one hand and, with the other, struck with the Black Tiger Heart-Strike, tearing open the demon’s chest and abdomen.

The demon let out a wretched cry and plummeted straight to the ground, while Wei Cheng burst into arrogant laughter, preparing to depart at once. Yet, in the next instant, as the scalding blood poured into his mouth, his eyes widened in shock.

Whatever species this flying demon was, its heart blood was astonishingly nourishing—far surpassing even that of the pig demons! As the blood slid down his throat, it transformed into blazing fire, almost burning Wei Cheng to ashes. He tried to analyze, break down, and fuse the power, but it proved overwhelmingly fierce, tearing through the mountain ranges formed by his Mountain-Shifting visualization.

It was as if his cultivation foundation was being demolished. Still, Wei Cheng stubbornly persisted, frantically attempting to resolve and assimilate the power, until only the last mountain remained within his visualization.

At last, he managed to halt the destruction. Or more precisely, his Mountain-Shifting visualization, using its depth and buffering, managed to delay the rampaging force long enough for it to be tamed.

Then, hardship gave way to sweetness. An unimaginable surge of power bubbled up like a hot spring, rapidly nourishing his nearly ruined Mountain-Shifting visualization, like rain after a long drought.

His internal energy erupted like a geyser. The recovery speed was hundreds of times faster than before. In the blink of an eye, Wei Cheng regained at least three decades' worth of internal energy. The Mountain-Shifting visualization was restored to its pristine state.

A resonant hum boomed from the Golden Bell, and its protective aura enveloped Wei Cheng once more, bringing back the long-lost sense of security. Hesitation vanished; he had no intention of leaving. With a forceful tug, he ripped out the demon’s heart and devoured it, drinking its blood with fervor.

Within mere seconds, the domineering power in the demon’s heart and blood was first stymied, as his Mountain-Shifting visualization absorbed the shock in a near self-destructive manner. Once tamed, it was wholly assimilated.

The process was agonizing—Wei Cheng felt utterly ruined, scorched outside and tender within, crisp as a brittle chip. Yet his Mountain-Shifting visualization gave him the chance to brake at the last moment, allowing him, in this extreme manner, to recover a full six decades’ worth of internal energy in an incredibly short time.

It was like a dream.

At this point, Wei Cheng pushed aside the demon’s corpse and saw that the entire Floating Cloud City was in chaos. Oddly, though he had left the city wall, the transmission stone monument atop the northern ramparts still stood tall.

He wondered what sort of mechanism this was. Perhaps it was a new change after the defensive killing array was destroyed—now the battle had shifted from the walls to the streets.

Wei Cheng had no time to ponder further. He truly had no desire to return to the ramparts—that place was a death trap, an impossible task for anyone. As long as he survived, the defense line of the north city was considered unbroken. So why not wage a street battle?

Floating Cloud City showed almost no organized resistance. The natives barely fought back; when the demons charged, bodies littered the ground… The houses and courtyards lining the streets were either ablaze or reduced to rubble, as if the city feared Wei Cheng might find anything useful.

It was beyond ridicule.

Wei Cheng had learned his lesson and now darted wildly through the city. The incense of time had burned down more than half; as long as he survived, victory was assured, and it seemed the trial’s mechanism allowed for this.

A pig demon spotted Wei Cheng from afar and charged at him, shrieking. Without hesitation, Wei Cheng turned and dashed into the sea of flames. He would rather be roasted alive than face the pig demon head-on.

When he emerged on the other side of the fire, as expected, the pig demon had followed. It soon entered a state of complete frenzy, rampaging without restraint. Wei Cheng kept close behind, letting the demon clear a path for him, and conveniently harvesting a few minor demons along the way.

A screech echoed from the sky, followed by a blast of wind and a shower of sand and stones—one of those scarlet flame demon birds. Wei Cheng didn’t look back; he rolled on the ground, shedding most of the attack’s force, then was snatched into the air by the bird.

In the next moment, he gathered his strength, broke both of the demon bird’s claws, then tore open its belly and feasted. When he landed again, his internal energy had returned to its peak.

He was particularly fond of these demon birds, though their numbers were scarce. He tossed a damaged demon bird’s heart into his basket and continued his guerrilla tactics.

A three-story stone building ahead collapsed with a thunderous roar. Wei Cheng recalled this place was called the Banquet Pavilion—the finest dining spot in Floating Cloud City. The young women there were quite lovely.

A pity.

A figure flitted past like a fairy in flight—it was Ling Yan, one of Zhou Wu’s trusted aides, named Xu Shan, with five decades of cultivation.

So, Zhou Wu’s team was fighting street battles as well.

Wei Cheng didn’t want to gloat, but his mood was turning increasingly cheerful…

“Mountain-Shifter? I’ve triggered a side mission over here. Come help, and I’ll split the reward with you,” Xu Shan called out quickly, seemingly unconcerned about Wei Cheng refusing.

But Wei Cheng turned and leapt into the sea of flames, not even leaving a shadow behind.

Side mission? At this moment, surviving a second round was victory—everything else was superfluous.

Did Zhou Wu truly believe his team could endure a third round?

The city’s protective barrier was now barely existent. If the flesh mountain demon moved faster, it could encircle the city, leaving no escape for anyone.

Avoiding combat and conserving internal energy was the only sensible course.

Thus, relying on his abundant internal energy and Golden Bell protection against the burning flames, Wei Cheng plunged into the inferno, especially favoring the burning buildings—his absolute favorite. It was exhilarating, but the energy consumption was immense, so he had to occasionally pop out and lure a flame demon bird for replenishment…

All in all, life was good—if only it could go on forever.

Alas!

Wei Cheng suddenly heard the eerie horn again. He looked up in confusion to see at least twenty or thirty thousand antlered demons swarming atop the city walls from all directions.

These demons didn’t storm the city; instead, they raised black fire altars in their hands. What could this mean?

Wei Cheng’s heart froze. The incense on the transmission stone monument still had more than ten minutes left, but now the demons seemed intent on scorched earth, with no concern for friend or foe.

Utter madness!

Cursing inwardly, Wei Cheng also wondered if the invasion of foreign demons in the true cultivation world was just as despairing.

No time for further thought. Tens of thousands of fire spears launched into the sky, tracing countless meteors across the heavens—so dazzling, so ruthless.

Wei Cheng dared not take the brunt; he charged into a still-standing house, using his shoulder to collapse the structure and bury himself, hoping to lessen the damage.

The next moment, deafening explosions rocked the city. The rubble above Wei Cheng’s head was targeted by at least dozens of fire spears, blasting several feet of stone into countless fragments.